Letters From the Field: Lenten Letter No. 1

One of my spiritual gifts is mining God's fields for spiritual gifts in others.

Here you will find the first in a series of Lenten Letters

from a gifted writer at Calvary UMC~ Arthur Herring!

I hope you will check here weekly for updates on

"Letters From the Field."

Encourage him to let his light shine

by sharing your comments.

To God be the glory!

Shalom.

Pastor Laurie <><


Letters From the Field
Monday, February 11, 2008: Lenten Letter No.1

Essay writing can be considered a dangerous sport. To tell the world precisely what you think is risky. Still, I am compelled to take my chances. I want to share my thoughts, experiences, and observations. Why? The reason is quite simple: I believe it is my God-given responsibility to do so.

Communication is an important part of all our lives. Open, honest discussion is also part of our calling. Our Creator expects us to help one another by sharing what we have come to know. To borrow and slightly alter a quote from writer Georges Sand, “We don’t communicate because we want to; we communicate because we must.”

Some of us, however, feel an extraordinary urge to do so. I am one of those people. For most of my life, I have believed, as I have often been told, God has given me a gift in this regard.

Yet, for a long, wasteful while, I was afraid to speak openly. I used to fell prey to every “reason” and excuse in the book. Finally, after years of divorcing my purest hopes from reality ( a truly dangerous habit for a person of faith), I have come to see the wisdom of one of my own sayings : There are no grater cowards than those who do not live by their sincerest convictions. If we are convicted, we must follow up with commitment.

Most of you are no doubt familiar with the account of Moses returning from Sinai wearing some of the radiance of God that had “rubbed off” on him. The terrified Israelites didn’t quite know what to make of that, so Moses wore a veil so as to hide that glory and calm their fears. Now fast forward a few thousand years.

Followers of Jesus, however, are told by the Master Himself to uncover their light---their bit of God’s glory. This glory was not rubbed off. It was applied to our minds deliberately. It was the Giver’s intention that our gifts be just as deliberately displayed.

Yet, Jesus has to remind His followers of this, precisely because the tendency is for us to hide from the light---even though we know the light will make us glorious---even while we secretly long to be glorious.

Why is this?

Light exposes as thoroughly as it glorifies. When you openly present yourself to others, you also expose your faults and weaknesses. Oh yes, it’s wonderful to have people praise you when you get it right, but nobody loves having their weaknesses laid bare. Still God calls us to the light even as He calls us to let our light shine. He knows that even as our faults are made plain, His strength will be made perfect in that same state of imperfection.

I admit, that is not a part of my calling that I relish. Like the Israelites of old, I too, have been more comfortable having the radiance shed upon me covered with a veil. The problem is that a veil doesn’t go with my new outfit!

You see, awhile back, God issued me a challenge. “Try wearing something a little more transparent,” He said. “Don’t worry about your ashy legs showing. I have some Oil that will take care of that! But you won’t get it ‘til you put on the garments I have made just for you!”

Those garments are the clothes of a writer. The Oil is the inspiration of the Spirit, given to get the gears of my mind running more smoothly. The challenge came through Laurie. She urged me to take a bold step and start doing the work I had been dreaming of.

So here it is, the response to her challenge, the first of six essays in a series I’ll call Letters From the Field. These six will be called “The Lenten Letters.”

It is my hope and prayer that these writings will entertain, enlighten, and inspire you. If they do, please let me know. Then I’ll be inspired to do more to help you let your light shine.

Peace to you all,
W. Arthur Herring, Jr.